Tilt-slide action aerosol valve

ABSTRACT

A tilting-type aerosol valve comprising a cup-shaped valve housing which is covered by a resilient annular discharge-valve seat. A hollow valve stem extends through the valve seat and carries an annular valve shoulder inside the housing. The shoulder is engageable with the seat to close off the discharge. Within the housing there is a supporting boss on the valve stem, located below the valve shoulder and engageable with an opposite wall of the valve housing to normally maintain the valve shoulder and seat engaged whereby the valve is closed. The stem can be tilted, however, because the shoulder can compress a localized area of the seat. This separates another portion of the shoulder from the seat, whereby liquid can flow from the housing, but through the hollow valve stem.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Wolf Steinman Fairfield, Conn. [21] Appl.No. 843,906 [22] Filed June 30,1969 [45] Patented Apr. 20, 1971 73] Assignee Valve Corporation of America Bridgeport, Conn.

[54] TILT-SLIDE ACTION AEROSOL VALVE 6 Claims, 10 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.Cl ..222/402.2l, 222/402.18 [51] lnt.Cl ..B65d 83/00 [50] FieldofSearch 222/94, 402.22, 402.21, 402.23, 402.18

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,898,012 8/1959 Galeazzi 222/402.2l 3,375,957 4/l968 Kuffer 222/402.23X

Primary Examiner-M. Henson Wood, Jr Assistant Examiner-Thomas C. Culp, Jr Attorneyl-l. Gibner Lehmann ABSTRACT: A tilting-type aerosol valve comprising a cupshaped valve housing which is covered by a resilient annular discharge-valve seat. A hollow valve stem extends through the valve seat and carries an annular valve shoulder inside the housing. The shoulder is engageable with the seat to close off the discharge. Within the housing there is a supporting boss on the valve stem, located below the valve shoulder and engageable with an opposite wall of the valve housing to normally maintain the valve shoulder and seat engaged whereby the valve is closed. The stem can be tilted, however, because the shoulder can compress a localized area of the seat. This separates another portion of the shoulder from the seat, whereby liquid can flow from the housing, but through the hollow valve stem.

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SHEET 2 OF 2 I NVENTOR. 01? Siefuncm HGENT 'lllllLT-SlLlllDlE ACTll DN AERGSGL VALVE BACKGROUND This invention relates to aerosol valves, and more particularly to tilting-type valves wherein a hollow valve stem carrying a spray head or button is tiltably mounted in a valve housing to control the discharge of aerosol substance from the dispenser.

Fleretofore valves of this type employed return springs, or else especially arranged molded resilient plastic valve or housing parts to effect the return or closing of the valve when the discharge was to be terminated. This meant additional parts with consequent increased component and assembly costs, or else more expensive molds and more complicated plastic components which were likely to malfunction. Prior valves as a consequence could be unreliable, or unnecessarily high in relative cost, or both.

SUMMARY The above drawbacks and disadvantages of prior tiltingtype aerosol valves are obviated by the present invention, one object being the provision of an improved tilt-type aerosol valve which is self-closing or returning without requiring the use of return springs, or the use of especially arranged resilient plastic parm such as valve or valve-housing members. This is accomplished by the provision of a simple cuplike housing which is closed or covered by a resilient annular valve seat, and a cooperable shouldered valve stem engageable with the valve seat and also slidably engageable with an opposite wall of the housing, the arrangement being such that the stem can be tilted due to slide action and the capability of the shoulder to compress a localized area of the seat as a consequence of the tilting. Another part of the valve shoulder separates from the seat to permit the discharge flow. The resilience of the valve seat thus can provide for the return movement of the valve after the tilting force is removed therefrom, making unnecessary the conventional valve return spring, or the notso-conventional special valve and valve-housing configurations heretofore relied on for this purpose.

Other objects and advantages of the invention reside in the provision of an improved tilt-type valve as above set forth, wherein the components are particularly few and simple, inexpensive to produce and assemble, and wherein the valve action is especially easy as well as reliable.

Still other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the drawings illustrating one embodiment of the invention:

FlG. l is a fragmentary axial sectional view of the upper portion of an aerosol dispenser of the pressurized can type,

having incorporated in it the improved tilt-slide action aerosol valve. The valve is in closed condition.

MG. 2 is a view like that of HG. l, but showing the valve tilted and in the process of discharging the aerosol substance.

MG. 3 is an axial sectional view of the valve stem part of the valve.

FIG. 3 is a transverse section taken on the line M of FIG. 3.

H6. 5 is a side elevational view of the valve stem of FIGS. 3 and il.

MG. 6 is a bottom plan view of the valve stem of FIGS. 3, i and 5.

FlG. 7 is an axial sectional view of the valve housing of the valve construction.

FlG. it is a top plan view of the valve housing.

FIG. 9 is a bottom plan view of the valve housing.

FlG. W is an aerial sectional view similar to that of FIG. ll, but showing the valve construction as used with a pressurized bottle-type container.

Considering first FlGS. l and 2, the dispenser and improved valve construction shown therein comprises a conventional pressurized can 20 provided at its upper end with a metal mounting cup 22 of usual type, including a raised central portion 24 adapted to carry the discharge valve assemblage and depress button or spray head.

in accordance with the present invention there is provided a novel and improved tilt-slide action valve assemblage which is mounted in the cup portion 2d, said assemblage having an absolute minimum number of parts of especially simple configuration whereby the component and assembly costs are especially low while at the same time there is had a desirable ease and reliability of operation. The valve construction mounts a spray head or depress button 26 which may be of any well-known type, said button being carried by the hollow shank portion 2% of a valve stem 30 shortly to be described.

As shown in the figures, the valve construction comprises essentially two simple molded plastic parts, the valve stem part 30 and a valve housing part 32 together with a resilient rubber washerlike valve seat 34. The valve housing 32 is molded of a suitable plastic substance which has appreciable rigidity such as Polypropylene of known formulation. The valve stem 30 is also of rigid plastic substance, being molded of a material known commercially as Delrin.

The housing 32 has a cuplike body portion providing a chamber 36 for receiving liquid from the container 20, said body including a transverse bottom wall 38 which defines one side (the bottom) of the chamber. The valve seat 34, being resilient and constituted of rubber or rubberlike material, is apertured to receive the hollow shank portion 28 of the valve stem 30. The valve seat 34 constitutes the opposite or upper side of the chamber 36, being clamped against the annular rim portion M) of the valve housing by the top wall 42 of the cup portion 24.

The valve housing 32 has an annular outer ledge or shoulder M against which sidewall portions of the mounting cup are crimped as indicated at 46, thereby to retain the valve housing in its operative position with the rim portion 40 tightly sealed against the valve seat 34.

The valve stem 30 includes an annular valve shoulder as disposed in the liquid-receiving chamber 36 of the housing 32, said shoulder being engageable with the resilient valve seat 34 to close the aperture thereof. The valve stem or part 30 also has a transverse or side passage 50 disposed adjacent the valve shoulder lb and communicating with the hollow or bore 52 of the shank 2% by means of a throttling or metering aperture 54. The valve part 30 further has a depending abutment portion as including a circular slide surface 5% which is engageable with and slidable on the transverse wall 3% of the valve housing when the valve part is tilted. The portion 24 of the mounting cup 22 is apertured to provide appreciable clearance for and to admit the shank 28 of the valve part 30. The abutment portion 56 of the valve part 30 preferably supports said part in the normally closed position of FIG. 1 wherein the valve shoulder 41b is engaged with the valve seat 3d, thereby preventing egress of liquid from the chamber 36 through the hollow shank 2b.

The valve housing 32 has a depending hollow boss 60 depending from the transverse wall 3%, to which there is affixed a dip tube 62 extending to the bottom of the container 20 as will be understood.

in accordance with the invention, an offset inlet opening 64 is provided in the transverse wall 33, said opening being eccentrically located with respect to the wall and to the bore of the boss as whereby it is normally out of alignment with the abutment portion 36 of the valve part 30 as seen in FIG. I. With such construction, pressurized liquid in the container 20 can normally occupy the dip tube 62, the hollow boss so, and the chamber 36 of the valve housing, reaching said chamber through the offset inlet opening 6d.

Referring to H65. 3, 4t, and E5, the side opening or transverse passage 50 of the valve part 30 in accordance with the invention is spaced upward a slight extent from the top or sealing face as of the valve shoulder 43, said passage extending completely through the stem and being preferably of square or rectangular cross-sectional configuration. The passage 30 communicates with an annular external groove 68 which is also spaced slightly above the top surface as of the valve shoulder db. Such spacing provides for a more effective and leakproof closing of the valve. The throttling aperture 54 communicates with the transverse passage 50 whereby communication is established between the bore 52 of the shank portion 28 of the valve stem and the annular groove 68 thereof.

The bottom of the abutment portion 56 of the valve stem in accordance with the invention is provided with a hollow or recess 70, resulting in the annular or circular slide surface or edge 58 which is engageable with the bottom wall 38 of the valve housing 32. The transverse wall '38 may also have a vapor tap passage 74, if this should be desired.

The operation of the improved, simplified tilt-slide action valve of the invention may now be readily understood. Considering FIG. 1, the engagement of the abutment portion 56 of the valve part 30 with the wall 38 of the valve housing part 32 tends to maintain the valve shoulder 48 in engagement with the valve seat 34. Also, the pressure within the container 20 tends to maintain the valve shoulder 48 tightly sealingly engaged with the valve seat 34. As a consequence, no discharge will normally occur nor any leakage, with the valve part 30 in the nontilted or vertical position of FIG. I. When it is desired to discharge the contents of the container 20, the valve stem 30 is tilted as by applying finger pressure to the spray head 26 as illustrated in FIG. 2. This will cause the valve shoulder 48 to compress a localized area of the valve seat 34 as in FIG. 2, and will cause another part of the valve shoulder to separate from the seat at locations opposite to the localized indented portion of the seat. Communication will thus be established between the chamber 36 and the bore 52 of the valve stem, by means of the annular groove 68 and transverse passage 50 as well as the throttling passage 54. A discharge will occur from the spray head as indicated. This discharge will be constituted of liquid which has entered the chamber 36 via the offset passage 64, as well as vapor which has entered the chamber 36 through the vapor tap opening 74. During such tilting of the valve part 30 the abutment portion 56 thereof will have slid along the top of the transverse wall 38 of the valve housing 32, such sliding movement being facilitated by the distributed slide surface of the abutment, constituted of the circular edge 58. The edge 58 not only minimizes the likelihood of the abutment 56 causing an indentation of the wall 38 because of cold flow tendencies of the plastic, but it also tends to fix and maintain the vertical or upright, closed position of the valve part 30 when pressure is released from the spray head 26. Upon such release of finger pressure, the tendency for the valve seat 34 to resume its normal, noncompressed condition will restore the valve stem part 30 to the vertical, sealing position of FIG. I. By virtue of the provision of the annular groove 66 and the spacing of said groove and the passage 50 slightly above the top surface of the valve shoulder 66 there is insured not only a reliable discharge regardless of the direction in which the valve stem is tilted but also a reliable shutoff of the flow without leakage when tilting finger force is removed from the spray head.

It will now be understood from the foregoing that l have provided a novel and improved tilt and slide action aerosol valve which is constituted of the fewest possible components, said components being of simple construction and being readily produced at a low cost. The components may be assembled without difficulty, utilizing automatic feeds and the like in assembling machines, and no special orientation of the spray head 26 with respect to the axis of the passage 50 is required during assembly since the direction of tilt to effect a discharge is not critical. It will be especially noted that no valve return spring is required in order to restore the valve part 30 to the closed vertical position, nor will the chamber 36 ever be shut off from the interior of the container 20 with the valve closed, inasmuch as the inlet passage 64 is offset or eccentrically located.

The improved tilt-slide action valve is illustrated as incorporated in a bottle-type container 78 in FIG. 10. It will be understood that the valve action is similar to that already described above, the only changes being in the mounting cup by which the valve assemblage is affixed to the mouth or rim of the bottle. I

Vanatrons and modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Iclaim:

I. A tilt-slide valve construction for an aerosol dispenser,

comprising in combination:

a. a valve housing having a chamber for receiving liquid from the container, and having an unyielding transverse wall including a solid imperforate portion, said wall defining one side of said chamber;

b. a resilient, apertured valve seat constituting an opposite side of said chamber;

c. a valve part having a hollow shank portion extending through the aperture of the valve seat;

d. said valve part having an annular valve shoulder disposed in the liquid-receiving chamber of the housing and engageable with the resilient valve seat to close the aperture thereof;

. said valve part having a side passage disposed adjacent the valve shoulder and communicating with the hollow of the shank portion, said part further having a solid and unyielding abutment portion including a slide surface engageable with and slidable on the imperforate portion of the unyielding transverse wall of the valve housing when the valve part is tilted; the tilting of the valve part unseating the shoulder thereof from the valve seat whereby liquid from the chamber can flow into the hollow shank portion through the said side passage;

g. said abutment portion of the valve part supporting the part on the transverse wall of the valve housing with the valve shoulder engaged with said resilient valve seat.

2. A valve construction as in claim 1, wherein:

a. the valve housing has a hollow boss depending from the center of said transverse wall, for supporting a dip tube;

b. said wall having an inlet opening establishing communication between the hollow boss and the chamber of the valve housing;

c. said inlet opening being disposed eccentrically in said wall and with respect to the bore of said boss.

3. A valve construction as in claim 1, wherein:

a. the abutment portion of the valve part comprises a boss depending from the valve shoulder;

b. said boss having an end portion of reduced girth, on

which said slide surface is disposed.

4. A valve construction as in claim 3, wherein:

a. the end portion of the depending boss has an open recess forming an annular land which constitutes said slide surface.

5. A tilt valve construction for an aerosol dispenser,

comprising in combination:

a. a valve housing having a chamber for receiving liquid from the container;

b. a resilient apertured valve seat constituting one side of said chamber;

c. a valve part having a hollow shank portion extending through the aperture of the valve seat,

d. said valve part having an annular valve shoulder disposed in the liquid-receiving chamber of the housing and engageable with the resilient valve seat to close the aperture thereof;

e. said valve part having a side passage disposed adjacent and spaced from the valve shoulder, said side passage being disposed in the hollow shank portion and communicating with the bore thereof;

f. said shank portion having an annular external groove spaced from the valve shoulder and communicating with said side passage.

6. A valve construction as in claim 5, wherein:

a. the side passage of the valve part is of rectangular cross section. 

1. A tilt-slide valve construction for an aerosol dispenser, comprising in combination: a. a valve housing having a chamber for receiving liquid from the container, and having an unyielding transverse wall including a solid imperforate portion, said wall defining one side of said chamber; b. a resilient, apertured valve seat constituting an opposite side of said chamber; c. a valve part having a hollow shank portion extending through the aperture of the valve seat; d. said valve part having an annular valve shoulder disposed in the liquid-receiving chamber of the housing and engageable with the resilient valve seat to close the aperture thereof; e. said valve part having a side passage disposed adjacent the valve shoulder and communicating with the hollow of the shank portion, said part further having a solid and unyielding abutment portion including a slide surface engageable with and slidable on the imperforate portion of the unyielding transverse wall of the valve housing when the valve part is tilted; f. the tilting of the valve part unseating the shoulder thereof from the valve seat whereby liquid from the chamber can flow into the hollow shank portion through the said side passage; g. said abutment portion of the valve part supporting the part on the transverse wall of the valve housing with the valve shoulder engaged with said resilient valve seat.
 2. A valve construction as in claim 1, wherein: a. the valve housing has a hollow boss depending from the center of said transverse wall, for supporting a dip tube; b. said wall having an inlet opening establishing communication between the hollow boss and the chamber of the valve housing; c. said inlet opening being disposed eccentrically in said wall and with respect to the bore of said boss.
 3. A valve construction as in claim 1, wherein: a. the abutment portion of the valve part comprises a boss depending from the valve shoulder; b. said boss having an end portion of reduced girth, on which said slide surface is disposed.
 4. A valve construction as in claim 3, wherein: a. the end portion oF the depending boss has an open recess forming an annular land which constitutes said slide surface.
 5. A tilt valve construction for an aerosol dispenser, comprising in combination: a. a valve housing having a chamber for receiving liquid from the container; b. a resilient apertured valve seat constituting one side of said chamber; c. a valve part having a hollow shank portion extending through the aperture of the valve seat; d. said valve part having an annular valve shoulder disposed in the liquid-receiving chamber of the housing and engageable with the resilient valve seat to close the aperture thereof; e. said valve part having a side passage disposed adjacent and spaced from the valve shoulder, said side passage being disposed in the hollow shank portion and communicating with the bore thereof; f. said shank portion having an annular external groove spaced from the valve shoulder and communicating with said side passage.
 6. A valve construction as in claim 5, wherein: a. the side passage of the valve part is of rectangular cross section. 